The Fall of Angels
by Wildwolf
Summary: Yaoi- Mitani-Izuru (will raise to R). Mitani and Izuru still love each other, even after death... and enough to become Shinigami. But they didn't expect to become Shinigami together, let alone partnered. (2.3 updated!)
1. Prologue: What Went On Before

**The Fall of Angels**

Rating: R

Genre: Angst/Romance

Pairing(s): Mitani/Izuru

Warnings: Yaoi, sexual situations

Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei, or else... the particular story that this was based off of would have had a happier ending.

Plot: There was once a story so rebellious that it was beautiful, containing two so defiant that they dared to betray the word of God. This was the story of Mitani and Izuru. This story that you see before you is the story of how their love that defied God gave them a reason to become Shinigami.

Notes: Mitani and Izuru are not original characters- they are from manga graphic novel volume four, chapters five and six, the St. Micheal story.

This is a special request and dedicated fic to V-chan and Chloe-chan, who "suggested" I do it and figuratively cornered me and forced me into it. . They got my miniscule ego where it hurts!

When I first skimmed this story, unable to read kanji, I believed that this story was perverted and graphic. However, I started to read translations along with it and from then on had fallen in love with the two- Mitani-sensei and Izuru. Daijoubu if your don't know, this chapter is a prologue to explain their story!

Thanks to www.theria.net for the majority of my translations!

**Prologue**

**Summary of What Went on Before**

The setting was an all Boys private Catholic school called St. Michael's Senior High School in Nagasaki and the case was murder with a missing soul. Tsuzuki and Hisoka were the ones to investigate.

The victim had been seventeen-year-old Student Council Leader, Okazaki Izuru. His body had been found in the sea, ring and small fingers severed from each hand and foot with the words 'Forever my lover' carved into his skin.

Suspects for this murder included: Mitani-sensei, the Christian History teacher- however, he had no apparent motive, so hypothesis was made upon suspicious behavior; Fujisawa, the Vice Student Council Leader- he had wanted Izuru to disappear so that he could claim the Council Leader's position; and the mysterious Tsukiori, the Dorm Chief who wanted both Izuru and Fujisawa out of the way.

Fujisawa was found dead one night, in the same condition that Izuru's body had been- minus the sea. This, of course, ruled him out and brought Tsukiori up as the main suspect.

After a few more misleading clues, Mitani-sensei, who had become very good friends with Tsuzuki the priest, came to him for a late-night confessional. He reveals to Tsuzuki that he was the one who killed Izuru and Fujisawa.

"He... Izuru from the past has yearned for me. Watashi...no, boku (1)... I was at first puzzled about his feelings. I couldn't reject his earnest thoughts... Our relationship quickly grew tighter. After that, we both indulged ourselves, repeating the dirty act over and over. But I held reservations. Was this thing right? Was it alright to break the taboo? Izuru probably noticed my confusion. That night, while we were together... he cut off his own finger. Doing that felt good he said... so he burned his skin, carved his back with his arm..."

(Tsuzuki thinking:_ So then, the body's wounds_ _were done by Izuru himself..._)

"I desperately tried to stop him. But it had escalated too far that finally... he died on top of me. This filthy me... It is just as if I had killed him. I will surely be scorned by the Lord..."

_A person you mustn't love_

_Held even if only to satisfy one's curiosity..._

"But I am a researcher, no matter what I wanted to know."

_Even using his emotions..._

"I wanted to see what kind of world was the world God forbade for humans... just once even... I wanted to see it..."

_Is it a beautiful paradise? Or a land of darkness...?_

At this time, it is elsewhere found out when Tsukiori attempted to use Hisoka as the innocent lamb for a sacrifice that he was really a she and was working for EnMaCho undercover. She explains to Hisoka important information to this case.

Because Tsuzuki had killed Sagatanis, the demon that was after Hijiri and Kazusa in the Akuma no Toriru arc, he became in a high position in the ranks of the demons. Because of this, a number of demons would be after him to kill him and to claim his title. One such demon was Fohkaroru.

Back with Mitani-sensei and Tsuzuki, the corpse of Izuru is resurrected and speaking to them. In the battle the ensued between the Shinigami and the demon Fohkaroru that had taken over Izuru's corpse, Mitani-sensei is fatally injured. He has a final monologue before dying.

"Izuru..."

_In truth, I didn't care about God or taboos..._ _But I was a teacher and you were my student..._ _I didn't have the confidence that I would make you happy..._ _Substituted by a different feeling..._ _Time and again confused... hesitating_, _wandering inside..._ _But always, in my heart..._

"Finally, I couldn't go against you and my heart... I'm sorry I never told you Izuru... I'm sorry..."

_More than anyone..._

_More than the Lord who is my Father..._

_I love you..._

After this, the demon Fohkaroru reveals that Izuru had made a deal with him so that he would have Mitani-sensei's love instead of the confusion that the teacher had felt. In exchange, Fohkaroru would steal his body and spirit.

(A/N: And I am pretty sure from my obsessed rereading that Fohkaroru was the one who did all of the self-mutilation to Izuru's body- not Izuru himself.)

Tsuzuki, in anger, releases Suzaku and kills the demon before weeping over the dead teacher that had fallen victim to all of this just for being confused about religious taboos and love.

You who have sinned against the Lord   
The world you see

Is it Paradise?

Or is it...

(1) Watashi is one way of saying I that is more common while boku is another way that young and innocent boys use.

Oy, I dub this, the choppy and boring chapter. I hate doing summaries, especially when it is directed at an audience who intends upon reading a story, not a summary. I'm sorry for boring all of you!

But it seriously was a sad and lovely story that I'm sure is controversial enough to touch people in different ways. It was a story about betraying God and going against taboos for love, and no summary can fully catch that. Mitani-sensei and Izuru now have an undying place in my heart where I feel that they should be happy. Dang it, why did Matsushita-san make her characters so loveable?

My recommendation: if you can stand seeing two guys having sex (Graphic, but not REALLY graphic... about R-rated. If you've read Lumen Lunae, think that.), get the manga and read it. There are translations available, of course. I just recommend it, even if... I dunno. I just recommend it.


	2. Chapter 1: Angel's Tears

I will note that I am in no way sure how all of this works. How do people become Shinigami? Are their bodies still dead or what? I know they can be physically hurt, but not everyone dies cleanly... I'll just make up that their spirits become their bodies. Yeah, that works!

...is Mitani his first or last name?! I think it's his last, but for the sake of my sanity, it's the first name. V-chan came up with a last name, I'm just too lazy to dig through my Yami no Matsuei manga bag next to me to find what she picked. **gets stared at** Fine! **reaches two feet to dig through said bag** Here, Mohitei. V-chan picked 'mohitei'. I don't remember what it means, but I think it's something like... mourning denial? Dunno.

Yes, V-chan! I'm posting it without you BETA-ing! Mwahahahah!

**Chapter 1-**

**Angel's Tears**

"Okazaki Izuru, you have been assigned to Area One, Okinawa." Konoe-kacho peered at him, the boy's case still rather fresh in his mind as Tatsumi behind him shuffled through papers.

The boy nodded his head, uncrossing his legs and standing up from the chair.

"However," Konoe continued, "you will not begin work until you have a partner. Remember, Shinigami always work in pairs."

"Yes sir." The boy nodded.

Tatsumi now spoke up. "EnMaCho has provided an apartment for you and your partner in your area." He handed him a piece of paper. "Here is the address."

"You may go now." Konoe nodded.

"Thank you, sir." Izuru bowed and left the room.

As he looked at the sheet of paper, Izuru reviewed his life right before and after death. He had fallen in love with his teacher, Mitani-sensei, and they had a relationship until Izuru got it into his head that perhaps Mitani-sensei didn't really love him.

_I shouldn't have made a deal with that damn demon. I would still be alive and... with him. Stupid child._ He had scolded himself like this over and over again.

He remembered the night he died- it was the night he allowed the demon to take over his body. The demon controlled him, and he himself was unable to stop events from occurring. The demon used his body to make love to Mitani-sensei, and then killed Izuru's body sadistically.

It had been cold and dark after that. That's all there was. There was no light and no warmth. He had spent what felt like an eternity in that dark, cold place, unable to speak, but with hollow words ringing in his head. Certainly, he would not make it to heaven, but this wasn't hell either. Was his soul lost?

The next thing he remembered was a tug at his heart. He had felt something happen, but was unsure what.

After that, he opened his eyes and saw sakura blossoms. It was out of season, but there were sakura blossoms.

"Am I in heaven?" He asked himself, sitting up.

"No, not quite." A voice answered. He had turned to see a man with amethyst eyes and a boy with blond hair next to him.

"Who are you two? And where am I?" He asked, holding his head. "That demon! That demon killed me!"

"Yes, we know." The boy answered. "We know your story and worked on your case after you died."

"But if I'm dead, then where am I?" Izuru wondered aloud, staring out the window at the falling blossoms.

"You are in Meifu and a province called EnMaCho. Meifu is where the dead report to be judged and sent to their final resting places." The man with amethyst eyes explained.

"Then, I am to be judged and sent to hell for my sins on Earth." Izuru lowered his eyes and moved back, resting his head against the wall behind him.

"No." The boy answered. "Your will to live is strong; you wish to continue living so that you may see Mitani-sensei, your lover, again."

"We had a hell of a time getting your soul back." The man bit his lower lip in an aggravated fashion.

"You never explained who you are." Izuru looked up at them again.

"Well, I'm Tsuzuki Asato and this is my partner, Kurosaki Hisoka. We are Shinigami, angels of death sent to earth to claim the souls of those who died. One becomes a Shinigami by wishing to live after death, such as you." The man explained this simply, a smile on his face that did not go with the mood.

Izuru's eyes widened. "Does that mean that I'm a Shinigami?"

"Only if you want to." Tsuzuki commented. "Konoe-kacho was commenting that he did have an opening for two Shinigami in some area or other. But remember," his eyes narrowed seriously, dangerously, "Shinigami deal death on a regular basis. I don't know if someone your age could handle it."

Hisoka, who had been silent since the introductions, gave a small cough.

Tsuzuki jumped nervously. "Well, Hisoka was a special case! He had good reason!"

"Ano..." Izuru looked at them again sadly. "If you investigated my case, you do know that Mitani-sensei was innocent, right?"

Tsuzuki's face became solemn. "He killed others after you died. At least one other boy and the old priest."

"Mitani-sensei?!" Izuru's heart pounded, hurting as it seemed to attempt an escape from his chest. "So then..."

"But he was still in love with you. He was confused, but he loved you more than anything." Tsuzuki interjected. "That other boy, Fujisawa-kun, he did not feel anything for. It was only you."

Hisoka glared at Tsuzuki before going into a yelling fit about tact and that mentioning other affairs may hurt Izuru's feelings.

Izuru didn't know what to feel now as he only halfway listened to their voices. He was numb in the heart now as it slowed down to its normal pace. His eyes watered and his chest started to hurt. Why was this...? "Is... is Mitani-sensei happy now, at least?" He looked up at Tsuzuki and Hisoka, who were now silently staring at him, with tears forming.

"He... died." Tsuzuki turned away from his face, hurting too much to continue.

"The demon Fohkaroru killed him." Hisoka added. "It was his love that made him blind to our warnings."

"So it's all my fault." He could no longer hold the tears that his eyes relinquished. "It's my fault that he's dead now."

"No." Tsuzuki shook his head. "It's mine. I-I couldn't protect him. I tried, but Fohkaroru got to him anyway."

"But I'm the on who sold myself, remember! You investigated my case, you know everything that happened! If I had never sold my soul, we would both still be alive and I-I could tell him..." He buried his face in his hands.

"Tsuzuki." Hisoka nodded his head out the door. Tsuzuki nodded and left as Hisoka came to sit next to the bed. "Okazaki-kun, listen to me."

Izuru lifted his eyes a little to make miniscule eye contact.

"I will admit that it was very stupid to make a deal with a demon, but it isn't all your fault." He sighed heavily. "If I wanted, I could blame myself for going out for a walk the night that man was there. But no, I blame him for my death, and I also blame that demon for yours and Mitani-sensei's. So blame Fohkaroru for everything, not yourself."

Izuru did not answer him, preferring to stare at the floor.

"When you feel you are ready, ask, and Tsuzuki and I will take you to Konoe-kacho to be tested."

So here Izuru was now, wandering around aimlessly and wondering how to get to Okinawa. It was a good week after that time, and he had past the tests well enough. He could use the Shinigami powers of invisibility and flight if he so willed, but something about being up in the air with nothing to support you seemed slightly uncomfortable.

Then he started wondering something: if you could die again as a Shinigami that meant your body had to be a physical one- and obviously in good working condition. Wasn't his body... mutilated and stuff? Or destroyed? So why was this body perfectly fine? Did his... spirit manifest itself in a physical form or something?

"Oi! Okazaki!"

Izuru looked over in time to see the inu form of Tsuzuki barrel into him in a furious glomp.

"Tsu-Tsuzuki-san?" Izuru flushed.

"Gomen, gomen." He smiled sheepishly, sliding off of the boy and standing up. "So, where have you been assigned?"

"Okinawa, area one."

"Ah! That's near us- area two." Tsuzuki gushed happily.

"Ano..." Izuru smiled sheepishly. "Are you two reporting there anytime soon? I sort of don't know how to get there."

"Sure." Tsuzuki smiled. "Come with us."

Izuru sank deeper into his warm bath, mind going over a hundred different thoughts at once, as it seemed. He dunked his head under, trying to clear out all of those thoughts.

_"I love you, sensei."_

_I was stupid. I shouldn't have tried it- it only ended in our deaths. I loved him... and then I sold my soul to a stupid demon because his nervousness made me edgy. Idiot Izuru! Idiot, idiot, idiot!_

Finding air becoming necessary, he rose over the water's surface and breathed in. Sighing, he relaxed against the tub's edge. "I love you, Mitani-sensei... and I hope you made it to the afterlife safely."

He soaped down his body now, trying to wash away the dirtiness that he felt inside. Every time he had thought that Mitani had not loved him was like a new spot of dirt that covered his body, but was never able to be taken back, for he was never able to apologize now. He would stay dirty for his entire afterlife.

The door to the front of the two-bedroom apartment opened and footsteps trekked across the living room area. They were pretty light, but still the heavier footsteps of an adult.

Rising from the bath, Izuru wrapped a towel around himself and stepped out. "Hello?" He asked, peeking out the door to his new partner.

The door was halfway flung open as Izuru and his partner stared at each other in silence, both unable to move as blue and hazel met.

"Izuru..." the dirty-blond mumbled, moving his bangs from in front of his face to join the ponytail behind his head.

"Mitani-sensei."

They both sat there a few minutes later, Izuru now dressed in some new wardrobe that had been left for him by two other Shinigami. He didn't catch their names, but they were said to have taken a fancy to him and were both female. Hisoka had warned him against taking up acquaintances with them, however.

The shirt swept down into a split in the front that turned into its own cape whilst showing a little midriff. Izuru fingered the little ropes that connected the V-collar. After that, the pants and boots seemed pretty modest.

Mitani could not help but look at the boy before him that had once been his student and lover. He was still dressed in a long, white-sleeved shirt and khaki pants.

There was still an uncomfortable silence in the air.

"Kami has gained a grim sense of humor." Mitani commented. "Either that, or a couple of the boys upstairs."

"Mm." Izuru nodded just once.

"Izuru- Okazaki-kun, may I... may I please hold you, just to see if you're really here and not just a trick to torment me further?"

Izuru nodded unsurely, tears starting to well up again as he stood. Mitani swept him into his arms and started crying into his hair. Izuru did the same into his shoulder as his head was kissed and caressed fondly.

"Izuru, I love you." Mitani whispered into his ear. "I love you, and I am sorry I was never able to tell you truthfully before. I-it was all my fault- if only I hadn't been so confused about everything."

Izuru shook his head furiously. "No, it's my fault. I'm sorry for causing you so much pain. I'm sorry for ever thinking that you hadn't loved me."

"That's the thing!" Mitani said loudly. "At first, I didn't. But then, the purity of your emotions confused me and I didn't understand anything away from what the Bible taught." He lifted his face away from Izuru's hair. "I love you though, and I was finally able to understand it... I missed you so much." He bent down to kiss the boy before him.

Izuru pushed him away. "No, Mitani-sensei. We can't just go back to that, not after what happened. I still blame myself and I'm surprised that I can even face you without dying again from guilt." He started walking away. "I-I'm going to sleep now." He shut the door to his room.

Mitani watched him go in before sitting on the couch again. "Izuru..." He whispered. "I still love you. That was the last thing I thought before I died: how much I loved you and how I was never able to truly express it. I know that we can't go back to how it was before, for those scars will always be there. But I want us to have some sort of relationship like before, because I love you." He sighed deeply. "I'm going to make some tea."

He went through the processes he always had to make tea, but it felt different. He was dead now, and his afterlife was neither paradise nor darkness. It was a mix of the two, for he was sent back down to Earth, a place of darkness, with his Izuru near his side. That was the light, the spiritual luminescence that flowed from the blond boy in the next room. He yearned for the light, to hold it near his heart in a scene of pure happiness, but such was impossible for the soul that had now been consumed in darkness. The shadows were closing in and there was no escape for he who had sinned.

Angels were falling and being sent to hell for their tears.

His peppermint tea was of no comfort to him right now, and so he sank back to turn on the news. If a mission was to come up, one of the GuShoShin would pop up and tell them. But he hoped nothing would come up tonight, for he and Izuru were having small problems getting back together and he himself was very tired. According to what Konoe-kacho had told him, cooperation was a big part of this line of work and right now, both of them felt too awkward around one another.

_Maybe if I buy him a gift or something._ Mitani told himself. Izuru had liked chocolate in life, and it was pretty evident that dead people could eat, seeing that Tsuzuki tended to down large quantities of food on many given occasions. But the idea kind of wavered, seeing that they were on a budget. Tatsumi seemed very intent upon keeping them on that particular budget, and seemed to be daring him to go over whenever briefing him on everything.

_Well, I'll think about it tomorrow morning._ He set down his cup of tea and just sort of drifted in front of the news channel.

Heavy breath covering hot, slick bodies as hands caressed them all over. A whimper from sweet lips as an abrupt entrance occurred lower in the body, and the sound was silenced by firmer, but still gentle lips.

The cool sheets were heating up as two bare bodies danced amongst them, physically manifesting pent-up love that could never be seen in the eyes of mortals and was scorned in the eyes of their Lord.

"Izuru..." The lips seemed to whisper as they traveled the boy's body softly. One of each of their hands entwined fingers as Izuru gasped for all of the physical pleasures that peeked in his body. His free hand ran down his lover's back as he called that man's name to him.

"Mitani-sensei... sensei, I love you."

And they continued on with only the moonlight as a witness to their actions that dared defy God.

Izuru awoke quickly and slowly made his way to the shower, unable to go at much of a quicker pace due to arousing. It was not a dream, but a memory that had occurred. The loss of his innocence, the giving of his virginity to the man he had loved.

The cold water was comforting and calmed down his body after a little while.

After drying and dressing, he made his way quietly back to his bedroom, stopping to notice that the other from his dream was asleep on the couch, a look of peace on his face. Izuru let a small smile come over his face as he walked into Mitani's room and retrieved a blanket to put over the man, lest he catch a cold, if such was possible. He then went back to bed and slept, much more at ease then he had been before.

Angels could cry for their sins, but who would the perverts be, in the end? Who would be the immoral hypocrites in the eyes of the winged beings? Would the damned be those who would scorn them in the name of religion and damn them in the name of morality, or would those who are condemned be the ones who released themselves to their hearts and showed one another the pure emotion of love?

@.@ Aiya~! I hated that chapter~! **scratches at the compy screen furiously** I will note that I haven't the slightest where this is going now... .

**holds up sign that says: READ THE MANGA**

**sign that points at author: HOPELESS ADVERTISEMENT**


	3. Chapter 2: Road to Healing

Arigato gozaimasu, minna-san! **bows to the reviewers, huge blush on face**

Experimental- **blush increases** Aiya... thank V-chan for nearly killing my ego to get me to write this. But thanks anyways! **all happy and floaty now...** We all love Mitani-sensei and Izuru though... they're torturable! **gets whapped by said characters**

Starza- I noticed that, too... I nearly killed the poor computer because no one had a fic that had either Mitani-sensei or Izuru in it...

Sasari- Yep, sakura-crisis! Love them! They've actually done this arc now, so I'm all happyful and stuffs! -^_^-

Horyuu- yeah, Mitani is his last name… but oh well~! Fanfiction~! **dances a dance that doesn't involve movement** Why did he have to die…?!

Leo Shinatome- You can actually translate the stuff…? As I put it when a random person asks- I can read it, but don't understand it. ^.^'

**A note that can be ignored:** I've been debating the translation of… THAT demon's name's spelling. Technically, the kanji spells out Fu-o-Ka-Ro-Ru. The 'o' is small, usually noting that it is transformed… I hate Katakana~! Why isn't everything in Hiragana? **goes running off and screaming about stuff having to do with kanji**

Wildwolf: …ignore her. She's met problems with Katakana, as can be told… we're going to spell it Foukaroru whilst theria.net spells it Fohkaroru and sakura-crisis-net spells it Focalor. …you know, theria.net is probably right… **sighs and runs off to find Kae** Kae-chan~!

Chibi: Wait, we were spelling it like theria.net before, when we first started it. That means we started spelling it 'Fou' after typing the first two chapters?

Wildwolf: **groan** For the sake of consistency, we're keeping 'Foh' and it's probably right anyway… Chibi, did you know these notes are technically obsolete now? **returns to searching for his Kae-chan**

_Dare yori mo… Chichi naru kami yori mo… kimi wo ai shitei ta_

_More than anyone, more than God who is my Father, I love you._

**Chapter 2-**

**Road to Healing**

The morning came too soon and a meeting was too apt for the liking of the two former lovers. There were no physical bonds saying that they could not go back to the same relationship that they had in the past, but rather, a feeling of discomfort around one another that stemmed from the fact that each blamed themselves for the other being dead. Unfortunately, neither was willing to relinquish the blame without a stubborn fight.

They sat across the table from each other, eating in silence amidst the monotonous murmurings of the café in which they were seated. Mitani stirred around his coffee once, not wanting to begin any sort of conversation that was not deemed as publicly appropriate. Izuru's pastry sat half-eaten, for unsaid words felt in tension ate away at him.

"So..." Mitani said finally, breaking the silence while giving one more stir in his cooling coffee.

The younger of the two let out a sigh, wishing that the GuShoShin would deliver a case message.

"I need some new addition to my wardrobe." Mitani said rather absentmindedly.

"Hm?" Izuru raised an eyebrow at his former teacher.

"Well, you've seen what Tsuzuki wears, compared to this." He indicated his button-up shirt and black pants. "A jacket would be nice, at least. Some light color, maybe. White seems like a nice possibility."

Izuru was silent for a few moments. "You're a klutz. You'd probably spill coffee all over it."

Mitani sank in his chair. "That's mean to say."

The boy let out a small laugh as the teacher sighed. The man with long hair remembered an American short story that had interested him once. The author has gone into detail in one paragraph on how laughter was the one way to banish evils and sorrow.

Remembering that also brought up the rest of the story. Three boys were visited by an angel, the most pure and innocent of the beings ever to exist. However, the angel's purity meant that he lacked _Moral Sense_, so he was able to create and kill beings without feelings regret or having it considered a sin. The angel was largely flawed according to the _Moral Sense of humans, but that was the very thing that the angel was putting down- the fact that humans thought that his actions were wrong because of their _Moral Sense_ while humans themselves were murdering and torturing and letting their own brothers starve. The angel brought up the point, how could he be considered in the wrong if they, as a species, did that? (1)_

This was one of the things that had inspired Mitani to test his limits of what was sin and what was right. If angels could commit what we saw as sins, then why could he not as well? His stupidity was the result.

Angels cried tears and were flung into the abyss of hell for their pity.

"Saya-chan! I found them!" A voice yelled as a girl ran up and glomped onto Mitani-sensei.

"Who are you?!" Izuru all but yelled as a second girl ran up happily.

"Wow, you're wearing the clothes we picked out for you!" She squealed.

The first one unlatched herself from Mitani. "Our names are Saya and Yuma- we're Shinigami too!"

"You're the ones who gave me the shirt…" Izuru observed.

"Yep!" The one with shorter hair, most likely Saya, smiled.

"Now we need to do the same with Mitani-san!" The other with long pigtails, Yuma, grabbed the said former teacher as the two started marching off.

"We'll be at the outlet store!" Both called back as Mitani yelled in an attempt of resisting.

Izuru groaned and called for the bill, pulling out the money that Tatsumi had given them. The boy had been holding both of their shares because of Mitani's small problem of, well, klutziness. That tendency must be stressed a few times.

Some time later, he found Saya and Yuma giggling in front of the changing rooms in the back of the outlet store.

"You're here finally!" One of them grinned.

"Hai…" Izuru mumbled, sighing with closed eyes as the dressing room in front of him opened. The sound made him look up quickly and the sight that met him gave a reddened blush to his face.

Mitani stood there in a black coat, simpler than Tsuzuki's, but still with its own flare and style. Under it was a white, low-cut shirt and black pants.

"Ne… how does it look?" Mitani asked timidly, flushing as he gave a small, directed spin.

"Kakkoi!" The girls squealed, causing them to draw attention from the rest of the area. Both of them latched on to his arms, causing him to freeze up. Cause and effect… very scientific.

"Um, how do we expect to pay for this?" Izuru asked suddenly.

The four Shinigami stared at each other, two females with pleading looks in their eyes.

"Fine, fine." Izuru mumbled, opening his wallet.

"Yay!" Saya and Yuma glomped onto his arms.

They paid for the coat, and Mitani was the proud owner of his "fwooshy coat," as he was so intent upon calling it.

"Well, we gotta go now!"

"Yeah, we weren't supposed to leave our area!"

With that, the two bubbly girls disappeared.

Mitani and Izuru stared at where they had been.

"So, what next?" Mitani asked, feeling very cool in his new coat.

Fortunately or unfortunately, that was answered quite quickly.

"Mitani-san! Okazaki-san!" A chicken-like talking bird flew up to them, unseen by the crowds.

"GuShouShin!" Mitani looked at him, startled by the sudden appearance.

"Do we have a mission?" Izuru asked, hopeful.

"Yes, you do." He handed Izuru the manila folder that he was carrying.

Izuru, being more case-minded and desperate for anything that would rid his attention on his partner, opened it hurriedly.

"Um, this may not be the place." Mitani reminded, nodding to the crowds of people.

Once they had made it back to the apartment, Izuru once again opened the case file.

"This is Takamiya Maaya." The GuShouShin brother pointed out. "Your mission is to protect her for one full week, twenty-four/seven."

"That long?" Mitani groaned. "How come?"

"She made a deal with a demon." Izuru answered quietly, eyes not once leaving the paper. He swore he could hear his own heart thudding against his chest. So much like his… this case was too much like his.

"Yes." GuShouShin nodded. "She made a deal with the demon Kesabel, saying that if she lived, no matter what he did, for one week, she would be granted one wish. Anything she desired would be hers."

"Anything?" Mitani's eyes widened before narrowing in thought. "What if she lost?"

"Well, she would obviously be dead." GuShouShin pointed out. "And, he would take the life and soul of her closest loved one."

"But why would she do this?" Mitani asked. "Why would she risk herself and a loved one for one wish?"

"Because she's stupid." Izuru spat, tears threatening to fall. "She was stupid enough to fall for it, and her life will be miserable afterwards, whether or not she wins the bet." Hence came his affirmation, an assertion of what he believed.

"But Izuru… no matter how uncomfortable it may make you," Mitani said in a low, soft voice, "we must take this case."

"I know. It's our job."

"But also, do you want someone to end up like us? Do you want someone to die with enough spite or sorrow that they become Shinigami as well? This is indeed close to our case, but do you want someone to become like what you became?"

Izuru shook his head.

"So, shall we?"

_Do I have a choice?_

"This is the apartment."

"So we wait out here?"

"Yeah, that sounds like it."

The clouds had spread like a blanket across the sky, but not quite so much a comfort blanket to the populous as is was to Izuru. The sun felt wrong to him somehow, as if the sun was heaven's light and he was undeserving of it. From a view of the in-depth observer, it was comparable to a fictional woman who was forced to wear a symbol of her sin of adultery. This symbol figuratively burned itself into her heart; but the way this is comparable to the situation at hand is that wherever she went, the sun shined on her bastardized child, and when she reached the sunny spot, the clouds covered it so that she would never be bathed in its warmth. (2)

It was not so surprising when rain droplets began to hit the car window in their own sympathetic melody. Mitani drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He never liked rainy days, for they were always so depressing. The sun was always better because the world was in harmony and much less miserable- Izuru had liked sunny days in life because he had been so much more cheerful then.

The former teacher snuck a glance to the boy Shinigami sitting next to him. It went unnoticed, and most likely for the better. Izuru had always been a complex person, and someone that Mitani had wanted to find out everything about. As a student, he would smile, especially if he, his secret lover, was around. However, when he took on his duties as the student body president, he would almost become someone unrecognizable. He would be the type of person who liked gloomy days like this.

The gaze returned, and for longer this time. It was understandable, this uncomfortable feeling that they felt. Mitani knew that they wouldn't go back to what they were right away, but if he could help it, the eternal afterlife would be spent together.

"What?" A soft voice asked, snapping Mitani from his thoughts. Izuru had noticed his gaze and was now staring at him with a sad and nervous look in his eyes.

Mitani shook his head. "Nothing." He lowered his gaze to his pants and looked forwards again.

The rain started pouring harder.

The sandy-haired teacher grasped a cross in his hands, trembling as he whispered his confession to no one.

"Confiteor Deo omnipotenti… Beatae Mariae semper virgini… Beato Michaeli archangelo… Quia peccavi nimis… cogitatione, verbo, et opere. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Nil inultum remanebit.

"Dies irae, dies illa. Solvet seaclum in favilla quantus tremor est futurus confutatis flammis acribus addictus. Kyrie eleison…

"Kyrie eleison… peccavi nimis…"

Lord forgive me, I have sinned… 

Izuru looked over at his former sensei, who was sleeping now. The rain had lulled him to sleep, and now he was resting peacefully, even if they were on a job. Oh well, nothing was happening right now.

His gaze caught on his face, on how the dimmed light highlighted his features as his chest rose up and down. The boy could admit that he had been kind of cold lately, but… when he was like this, it was as if he could never be cold, never act as if he didn't feel that tugging on his heart when he saw that face.

That face was the one he would wake up to on the mornings he used to love. The bangs would be moved from his eyes as they opened and consumed Izuru with their beauty. They were like jewels that had a fire burning within them.

Idiot, why are you still so cold? 

_Because things can't be like they were. You can never forgive yourself, and you don't want yourself hurting him again._

_But… we would both be happy. I still… still…_

_I don't know._

He slowly reached a hand up to his face and wiped the sandy bangs from closed eyes. Mitani shifted a little, forcing Izuru to recoil his hand.

A red form leaving the apartment complex caught his eye suddenly. A woman with a dog was leaving now. Heart starting to pound, he checked the photo in the case file. Yes, it was she… Takamiya-san.

"Mitani… Mitani-sensei." He corrected himself quickly.

"Hm? Izuru?" He mumbled. "Too early."

A flush came across the boy's face. "Baka! Wake up! She's leaving!"

Mitani woke up at that point. "Who? Takamiya-san?"

"Yes!" He pointed out the window to the woman in red. "That's her! Follow!"

The elder quickly checked the picture while starting the car back up. "Well, this must be an old picture."

"Why's that?" Izuru asked, glancing back down.

"Because. The woman over there is blind."

It's pretty easy to tail a blind woman in the rain, for they can't hear the car following them. And since no one else was out, there was no one to warn her.

"Maybe we should park and follow her on foot." Izuru commented.

Mitani took this to heart and parked on the side of the road. They got out and followed behind her at a casual pace. Because they didn't have umbrellas, rain was soaking their clothes, forcing them to stick to their bodies. Hopefully neither of them would catch a cold.

Takamiya Maaya was moving at a slow pace, holding a leash and umbrella in one hand and a walking cane in the other. Sunglasses covered her lightly make-up covered face.

It was pretty uneventful as they followed her into a grocery store. They stood around and looked casual, reading magazines and manga anthologies while casting several looks to the woman as she checked out a small amount of groceries. Her dog was sitting patiently at her feet as she waited for them to check out. She was skilled with her impediment, for she needed no help in counting out her money and handing it to the cashier.

She shifted the bag onto her arm with the umbrella and leash and she bid the cashier goodbye and walked out the door. Despite her blindness, she held herself tall and proud.

She passed the two Shinigami as she left, and her dog cast them an uneasy glance.

"Do you still think that she's stupid?" Mitani whispered to Izuru, even if his question went unnoticed.

The rain started to clear up, but the cloudy cover persisted. People started to come out again and go on with their day.

"Watch out!" A voice screamed as car tires screeched.

The Shinigami looked up in time to see a car barreling at Takamiya in the crosswalk perpendicular to their line of movement.

Mitani concentrated his mind on the training he had gone through. He felt his legs moving, and suddenly, the woman was in his arms and he was across the street. She was groping at his jacket.

"Pochi! Where is Pochi?" She cried, her glasses askew on her face, revealing gray eyes.

Mitani assumed that it was the dog that she was talking about, and he looked over, fearing the worst.

It was at this time that Izuru came up with the dog, leash in hand. "Here is your dog."

Mitani set the woman down and her dog ran to her as she bent down, and it licked her face affectionately.

"I'm sorry!" A young man ran up. "My car swerved out of control."

"That's okay." She whispered. "No one was hurt." She adjusted her glasses. "Thank you for saving me." Standing, she turned to Mitani and Izuru.

"Takamiya Maaya," Mitani cleared his throat, "you are the one who made a deal with a demon Kesabel, correct?"

"H-how do you know?"

"We're here to protect you." Izuru started an introduction. "My name is Okazaki Izuru and my partner is Mohitei Mitani. We are Shinigami who were sent to be sure you survive your deal with this demon."

She was silent for a few moments. "Well," she said finally, "would you like to come over?"

(1)- The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain. I love that story, even if it was on the recommended summer reading list for Junior year...

(2)- The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Chibi: **holds up sign that says: LEARN JAPANESE SO YOU CAN READ THE MANGA**

Wildwolf: **sign: OR GO TO SAKURA-CRISIS.NET**

Chibi: **sign: OR BUY THE JAPANESE AND GO TO THERIA.NET FOR TRANSLATIONS**

Wildwolf: **sign: EBAY IS GOOD**

Chibi: We need to stop with the signs.

Wildwolf: But permanent markers are fun!

Chibi: ...You're not writing on this fic whilst high. Wait, I do all of the writing anyway... **glares at the spirit that has taken residence in her head**

Wildwolf: **smiles** "Moiiyo! Touda no baka!" And off runs inu Tsuzuki to save Hisoka from Sohryu. If you're confused, there is a way you can fix that.

Both: READ THE MANGA.

((Sign: MORE HOPELESS AND PATHETIC ADVERTISMENT.))

Chibi: It's Volume... 9? Yeah, nine. One of the few that has visuals that is perfectly okay for non-shounen ai fans to flip through. I mean, it has perverted dialogue, but who can read that within a good two miles?

V-chan off somewhere else: **sneezes**

Chibi: I said two miles~! **sighs** Must save up and buy materials for Tsuzuki costume… . Chotto… Taka… miya…?! **looks up Love Mode, then looks to fic** Same name… completely coincidental!

Wildwolf: The seeming gibberish is bits and pieces of Latin from a Catholic mass… thank you Hunchback of Notre Dame movie. And thank you 'The Order' for furthering an obsession. The particular phrases are based on a scene that is in an original story/manga we are working on. Yeah. **turns to Chibi** This fic is going to kill us.

Chibi: **sigh** What'll I do if I get grounded from the computer…?


	4. Chapter 3: Carpe Diem

So here I am with chapter 3 now! The EXTRA LONG CHAPTER that shows I'm too lazy to create separate chapters and am begging forgiveness for not updating. Well, time to start with review comments:__

Experimental- Really? Well, I don't think I'll reference him by name anymore, so it doesn't matter much… but I think I'll have to look it up anyway! Fallen angel, as in, when Michael defeated Lucifer and all that? That could work for my original story!

GQSamy- **sigh** It all depends on how long I can keep him depressed… hee hee… but yeah, the manga did leave it off, and so… this was born. And the manga was sad… **sniffles** They should have included this story arc into the anime! It fits with the Akuma no Toriru~!

Too lazi to log in but will later on…- Wow, why are people so excited and happy about this fic? **looks around confusedly** But there will be actual yaoi someday, so yeah, I'll do something about BOTH our fixes…

Horyuu- Well, at least in death they are together and random fics like this can be born… and Mitani-sensei doesn't have to live on in sadness… but yeah, it'd be better if both of them were alive. **glares at Matsushita-san… who just completely ignores her and doesn't know of her existence**

I am now listening to the Akuma no Toriru… I can't wait till I get the sheet music to it in~! **loves her new violin named Hijiri**

The first couple of pages of this were typed at one in the morning. Please excuse any drastic mood changes… **yawns**

**IMPORTANT NOTE** as to not confuse poor readers: I am changing the demon's name now- whatever it was previously was annoying me, and it will now be one of the fallen angels, as Experimental has kindly told me Sagatanis was. Erm, now it's Kesabel, the fallen angel that taught shape shifting, according to my research. And if nothing else, it's a cool name.

And today, January 13th 2004, is my… 3rd fanfiction.net anniversary? Yeah! It's also Orlando Bloom's birthday. Yay!

**Chapter 3-**

**Carpe Diem**

"Here, let me take your bag." Izuru offered.

"Thank you." Takamiya smiled.

"Um, what about our car?" Mitani asked.

"Why don't you go get it and drive it to the complex and we'll meet you there?" Izuru replied.

"Okay then." Mitani ran off towards the car.

He left the two in a silent walk, the only sound being the dog's collar and two pairs of shoes- one pair of tennis shoes and one pair of high heels.

"So…" Takamiya cleared her throat. "How old are you? Err, I suppose it would be, 'how old were you'?"

"I was seventeen when I died and became a Shinigami."

"Really? I know it sounds as if I'm prying, but why?"

Izuru took a deep breath. "Because I made a deal with a demon. I wronged my lover by forming a contract with a demon and the one I love was killed because of it." He softly replied, eyes lowering to the ground. "I was stupid, that's why."

"It sounds like my own situation in a way." She smiled sadly. "So I guess that means that I should not have dealt with my own demon?"

"That would have been smarter, yes." Izuru also smiled sadly.

"It was about two months ago that I became blind." Takamiya explained out of nowhere. Maybe she just wanted to get it out. "I was rising in the life of a local TV star when I was involved in a car crash. I remember it down to the rusted color of the other car that plowed into me.

"It was then that I realized that I would not be able to act anymore. I was given my Pochi so that I could learn to go on living, but it isn't easy. I've had to scrounge for jobs when I could get them so that I could feed us both- but Pochi has always been there."

Izuru could sense where this was going, along its sad path.

"I invoked a demon so that I could get what I wanted. I wanted my sight back so that I could work and make a living again. My eyes have been damaged beyond any repair, so surgery would not help. I'm stuck in this dark world."

"I'm sorry." This was all Izuru could say to this. What was it like to be blind?

"Tell me Izuru-san, can you describe your partner and yourself to me? And can you describe what my Pochi looks like?"

Izuru smiled. "Of course." He looked down at the dog. "Pochi-san is a golden retriever and his face looks very intelligent. It's obvious from his eyes that he cares about you and your safety.

"I have short, light blond hair and a dark blue shade of eyes. I am… about your height, I suppose. Mitani-sensei is a few inches taller than us with a sandy blond color of hair that he wears in a poofy ponytail with bangs that cover his eyes. His eyes are hazel, by the way."

Takamiya let out a laugh. "Poofy?"

Izuru couldn't help but grin also. "Yes, his hair is poofy."

"Tell me." Takamiya looked at him. "Your lover that you mentioned- was it Mitani-san?"

Izuru flushed, but continued walking. "Is it that obvious?"

"Mm, I've just gained higher levels of understanding people from their tone of voices in the past two months. From inference, I suppose you feel guilt for his death and your own."

Izuru nodded briefly. "Yes."

"But you still love him."

"I… I don't know, Takamiya-san."

"Izuru-san, call me Maaya." She let a gentle, motherly smile grace her young features. "And you should tell him if you still feel from him. When I could still see, I was into anime and manga more than most people my age. One of the main characters of a series that I was fond of was a young grade school boy who had a hard time deciding whom it was he was in love with. But someone told him to clear his mind, and then the one he loved most of all would be revealed. I think you should do the same."

"I'll… keep it in mind." Izuru answered unsurely. He didn't know exactly how much he really wanted to put his mind on the subject, but there was this part of him that wanted him to think about it right now.

Pochi turned to the apartment complex that they had been staking out in front of previously. "We must be here." Takamiya Maaya smiled a grin of a different sort than it had been. Now it was more like that of a best friend than anything else.

Mitani appeared suddenly out of nowhere, causing Izuru to start.

"I'm sorry." He scratched the back of his head. "One of the tenants was looking at me suspiciously, so I felt I should make myself scarce."

Feeling heat rise to his cheeks, Izuru had much of the same feeling.

"So when did the week start?"

"Sunday." Takamiya answered. "If it is now Tuesday evening, that means that there are about four more days left in the deal, including today."

"And no doubt the demon will be after you with all it's got." Mitani frowned.

There was a painful silence in which even Pochi stopped panting and just looked at the other two men inquisitively.

"So, who would like me to cook something? I imagine it is somewhere around dinner time." Takamiya offered, standing.

"No, no. We couldn't impose on you, Taka- Maaya-san." Izuru interjected quickly.

"Come now, I enjoy the company." Her gray eyes smiled as well as her lips. "Pochi and I never get any visitors; and would protecting me be more convenient if you two boarded here for a while?"

There was now an embarrassed silence and the two Shinigami processed this information. "I suppose…" Mitani mumbled. "But at least let us reimburse you for any costs that we may have after this is over."

"I won't have it." She retorted firmly. "You two are my guests and my guards, as well as friends." She let a cross look come over her face. "So you two are staying." She articulated every syllable before turning and walking into the kitchen.

Mitani and Izuru had flushed looks on their faces.

"Why do I get the feeling that any woman could take over the world if she so desired?" Mitani asked nervously.

"I don't know." Izuru stuttered nervously. His thoughts then took a turn from the present situation to the conversation from before.

"…Someone told him to clear his mind, and then the one he loved most of all would be revealed. I think you should do the same."

_Mitani…_ He stole a glance to the man sitting next to him, who was still looking in the direction of the kitchen with a half-amused look on his face.

I imagine that… I may seem stupid, staying so nervous and paranoid like this. If anyone could hear my thoughts- and I hope there are no telepathic people around- they would probably sign me up to go to a mental institution, where I would freak the doctors out. But… how would anyone else feel in my position? All my life, I have been taught homosexuality was evil and condemned- and I found myself in love with a man. We loved each other, slept with each other, and ultimately, I caused our deaths. If it weren't for me… if I hadn't been born…

_And here we are, sitting next to another once again, guarding a blind woman from a demon and the gods are seemingly laughing at me by throwing me into this position._

_I want to love Mitani-sensei… I feel it in my heart still. But… I will once again ultimately cause our deaths again, and Lucifer had no second chances of getting back into heaven. My feelings… caused our eternal damnations. My feelings were the reason we both died. My feelings are the cause of all of the misery. I may be self-centric, but it is truth- if it weren't for me, Mitani-sensei would probably have grown old with a wife and kids and not lost his chance into Heaven._

_I can't steal anything else away from him._

A hand landed on his back and the thumb started in slow circles.

"Izuru? Are you okay?" Mitani asked, now looking at him with full attention. "If something is bothering you, we can talk about it."

"No." Izuru shook his head. "I just zoned a little." He put on a replicated smile.

Mitani's hand subconsciously slid to Izuru's side, causing the boy to flinch and stand up abruptly. "I-I have to use the bathroom." He said quickly, sauntering off in the direction he thought the said bathroom was in. It was a lie- he wasn't even sure if Shinigami needed to use the bathroom. Most likely they did- they ate, didn't they?

After finding the room, Izuru sat on the counter for a few moments before flushing the toilet absentmindedly. With a sudden feeling, he turned on the water in the sink and let tears flow from his eyes.

He hadn't cried in a while. Not since the time he realized that he would indeed by damned for eternity for sleeping with another man. But it had felt so right… and it still did… but he couldn't.

"Izuru, you idiot." He scolded himself. "You can't force yourself to stop loving him. You just can't…"

"Here Takamiya-san, let me help you." He heard Mitani say as two metallic objects clanged together, assumingly pots and pans.

"Oh, thank you. Can you boil some rice?"

Izuru turned off the water and opened the door. It was enough to make the woman feed them, too much to make her pay the water bill.

"I'm going out." Izuru called to the two in the kitchen.

"Be back in half-an-hour!" Takamiya called to him.

"Okay." He answered, opening the door and slipping on his shoes. He closed the door behind him and left.

Mitani watched him walk off, eyes unable to leave the boy that reminded him now of a candle that had been blown out- something you know used to shine with light but someone had dowsed it before it was ready.

"He needs a little time." Takamiya muttered.

Mitani looked at her, gaining more and more respect for the woman before him who lived in the physical embodiment of the dark abyss that which he himself was trying to claw himself out of.

The wind made the day colder than it really was. Christmas wasn't too far away, was it?

_"Izuru… I'm going to come…"_

_"Sensei… Sensei!"_

Izuru flushed, remembering last the Christmas Eve he had spent alive and with Mitani. Now as it seemed, he would spend Christmas with the man again, but in a very different light.

"I love you…" 

There was a little white plush toy of a dog staring at him from a toy store window. It looked up at him with large eyes that beckoned him. Next to it was the exact same thing, except for black. They stared at him, calling and calling…

"Have a nice day." The cashier lady handed him the plastic bag.

"Thank you." Izuru bowed and ran out the store. No doubt Tatsumi would have a fit- but that didn't really matter now, now did it?

"Hey, look at that!" Someone pointed upwards to the sky.

Izuru gave an unconcerned look upward, and then flinched, seeing smoke.

I have a bad feeling… he started running back to the direction of Takamiya's apartment. 

His breath was quickened as his thoughts formed suddenly. _Is Maaya-san okay? Is that even her apartment? With what's been going on, there's no real doubt… I have to get there on time!_

_What about Mitani-sensei?_

He stopped, looking around to see if anyone was looking at him. Seeing there was no one of the sort, he cut into a wooded area and jumped into the air. Floating high up, he saw that the fire did indeed come from Takamiya's apartment complex.

"Shit…" he whispered. "Mitani!" He used up a split second to turn himself invisible before flying over to the complex, landing and coming back into visibility. "Maaya-san! Mitani-sensei!" He shouted above the crowds of people who were watching in awe and worry, yet not willing to do anything as firefighters appeared on the scene. "MITANI!"

"Here, Izuru!" Mitani yelled, waving an arm above his head to catch the boy's attention. Beside him was Takamiya, hugging Pochi and with a look of fear on her face. Izuru ran over to join them.

"What happened?"

"The stove caught on fire as I was cooking rice." He made a significant bit of eye contact. "If you ask me, it was no accident."

"The demon?"

"Yes." He nodded firmly.

"What's happening?" Takamiya interrupted fearfully, hair streamed and stuck in various places. Some of her crimson clothing was torn and battered. Her grayed eyes were wide.

"We're going to get you to another apartment somewhere. Don't worry." Mitani leaned down and picked her up in his arms as she clung like a scared child. Pochi whined a little before calming down and looking straight at Izuru, as if pleading help.

They moved Takamiya to a hotel room on the other side of town, feeling like their free reign with Tatsumi would soon be put on a very short leash. Yes, both Shinigami would almost be able to feel the figurative collars slipping around their necks like nooses if they were not so preoccupied with the situation.

"Izuru." Mitani said to him after lying Takamiya down on the one bed. She had fallen unconscious from exhaustion and fear. "I'm going to Meifu to… run an errand. I need to explain our situation. Can you watch Takamiya-san while I am gone?"

Izuru was unsure, but nodded anyway. "What if the demon should attack in the mean time?"

"Then run. Do not try to fight any demons. If Takamiya-san, or Pochi, or _you_… were to die, then…" He shook his head. "Just don't do anything stupid. I don't want to lose y- my partner so early on." He straightened his coat and left out the door.

Ignore him, Izuru. Just ignore what you know he was about to say.

For the first time, it dawned on him that he still had the bag with the stuffed animals in his hands._ Stupid impulse buying… what am I going to do with these? Hm… maybe… Christmas presents?_ His stomach growled._ Dinner. Never ate dinner- but I can't leave Maaya-san to pick up anything. Ack, I should have told Mitani-sensei to pick up something on the way back._

He took a look at Takamiya, who was still asleep.

Poor her, all her stuff is gone. I hope she had insurance, at least… but that still won't take away the hole in her heart. I… I know what it's like to loose everything.

Something wet and cold poked his arm. Looking up, he saw Pochi looking up at him with big brown eyes. A golden paw scratched at his leg and Izuru bent down to scratch him behind the ears.

"You'll help me protect her, right?" He smiled slightly. Sitting down on his butt, he started reviewing the situation as he could see it. The demon has now gone on the offensive- we cannot count that it will not kill any innocent civilians. We can either be defensive and just keep Maaya-san alive, or we could kill the demon… maybe? Why don't we bring her to Meifu? Is there some law against it, or is there some rule in their game saying otherwise? And what about the presence of Mitani-sensei and I. That has to be against its rules. This is just too confusing. Why would anyone be stupid enough to-?

Wait, you did it too, contact a demon. I have no room to ask that question. Stupid child.

He slumped down into a semi-comfortable position and sighed. "This sucks very badly. I don't suppose I could have just died and been done with it? Eh, kami-sama? Do you even exist?" He shut himself up from that slight outburst. "I wonder; does Mitani-sensei still believe in God? I know he did back then, during life, while I was questioning his existence."

There was so much that he could think about, just for the sake of being self-destructive. However, emotional masochism, though it had already taken its toll, did not seem very pleasing right now, so he concentrated on not thinking, which does not work. So after leading that roundabout route that seemed too terribly like a hamster caught in circular tubing with nowhere to go, he abandoned this and starting counting off seconds.

"Zero, ichi, ichi, zero, sayonara." He mumbled randomly. It almost seemed appropriate, but not quite. "Pochi, I am terribly sorry if I'm scaring you, but I have nothing else to do." He commented this after the dog had lifted its paw over its face in an attempt to scratch its ear.

It was after a few hours of thumb twiddling and talking to the dog that Mitani returned. "I'm here." He called, opening the door and closing it quickly behind him.

"What did you do?" Izuru stood, stretching.

"Well, after getting yelled at Tatsumi-san for spending money on the fwooshy coat, I asked Tsuzuki-san about fuda."

"You have fuda?"

"Ah yes, the things you can't live without in life: Tea, anime/manga, pocky, pie, and fuda- not necessarily in that order." He grinned as Izuru laughed. Had he been like this, so comical in life? Izuru could hardly remember, but it seemed very possible. After all, it had been his beloved sensei. And it felt good to laugh for the first time in so long.

The younger felt it again- that big, gaping hole in his chest that cried out to him to be filled. He felt almost like he was a soldier in some war that had gotten himself shot in the chest, and yet just wouldn't die. Or a survivor from the bombings on Nagasaki and Hiroshima who would stand up, dazed and dumbfounded, wondering why there were no more buildings left and why everyone was gone before possibly suffering and dying from radiation.

If only I had died.

"Izuru?" Mitani reached out and touched his arm.

The boy flinched at the contact and pulled his arm away. "I'm okay. You don't need to worry about me."

Mitani lowered his gaze. "Alright, Okazaki-kun."

For some reason, having been called that by this person sting him worse than anything else he could imagine would have.

"It's Wednesday now." He continued, looking at the clock that said it was past midnight. "Four more days. If it goes ahead and attacks, maybe we could kill it and get it over with." He gave a nervous, half-hearted chuckle. "Okazaki-kun, you probably haven't eaten in a while, have you? Why don't you run out and pick up some food for yourself, Takamiya-san, and Pochi?"

"Don't you need anything?"

"No, no." He waved his hands defensively. "Tsuzuki-san also forcibly fed me stuff until Kurosaki-kun found him." Another half-hearted smile. Izuru wanted to know what he was actually feeling, but his hair was covering his eyes, so he couldn't be sure. "Take my jacket. It's cold out there." He politely handed it to Izuru, who slipped it on.

"Thank you, then." He slipped on his shoes and left, feeling the chilly air and automatically thankful for Mitani's generosity. He started away from the hotel room. "Why is he calling me Okazaki-kun now?" He wondered aloud, and then answered his own question. "Because you've been cold to him. To him, it must feel like we're starting all over with this strange relationship of ours. Can we even have a relationship anymore? I… I don't want to hurt him, but no matter what, I am hurting him." He groaned. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

Feeling as if the entire world had blackened from existence, he hollowly went to the closest twenty-four hour café to eat something, quite sure he was the only one in the world when in fact there were a few people still up at this hour.

He found the only open grocery store and bought a few days worth of food for three people and a dog. The cashier indifferently checked him out and did not even say a farewell. Were all people so indifferent?

A thought came to his mind suddenly as he made his way closer to the hotel. _My parents. I'll bet that they're still grieving. I want to see them, and reassure them, but… I'd just hurt them too. Let's face it Okazaki Izuru, you hurt everyone. Why couldn't you have just died when you were supposed to?_

_I wonder if Mitani-sensei has thought about his own family. We've never talked about them. I wonder what his parents look like, and whether or not he has any siblings._

"I can show you." A voice said to him.

He whirled around, trying to see who was talking to him. In fact, not only had someone talked to him, but they had read his mind.

"Who are you?" He asked aloud.

"I can show you your family." The disembodied voice answered.

Izuru stopped, tempted. "Show me then."

A form hazily appeared before him. It was an orange cat, staring up at him with yellow eyes that started to glow.

"It's you…" Izuru whispered. "Kesabel!"

"Izuru, are you okay?" A woman asked.

"Okaa-san?" He looked around wildly. He was in his own home, dressed in pajamas and seemingly ready for bed.

"Why did you just yell?" The woman put her arms on his shoulders. "Are you sick?"

He hugged her tightly and felt tears forming. "I was dead, I know I was! I died at school!" He cried.

"Izuru!" His mother laughed. The laugh seemed hypnotic, as if the familiarity was soothing him and calming his nerves. "School has been taking a toll on you, hasn't it? You've just gotten back from there for your Christmas break."

"I did?" He let go, arms sliding down to his sides.

"Of course." She shook her head. "Maybe being the Student Body President is a little too much for you, if you're having nightmares about school."

"But it wasn't a dream, I know it!" He yelled. "Mitani-sensei was there, and so were Maaya-san and Pochi! I have to get back to them and warn them about-"

"Calm down. Here, sit." She sat on the couch, patting next to her so that her son would as well. It all seemed so real, and Izuru hoped it was true. "It was just a dream. You're safe, here at home."

"What about Mitani-sensei, and everyone else…" He mumbled.

"Mitani-sensei?" She blinked. "Oh, that teacher that was arrested for killing those two people."

"What?" Izuru's eyes widened.

"Don't you remember? The priest and that student? Um, Fujisawa-kun, I think it was." She thought about it for a few moments.

"But, Mitani-sensei… why?"

"Son, are you sure that you're not sick. You should remember all this." She put her hand to his head suddenly. "You don't have amnesia, do you?"

"No, okaa-san. It's just that… the past while seems like a large blur." He forced an unworried smile on his face.

His mother smiled softly. "Of course, that's understandable. What with all that's gone on… But I can't believe they let a teacher like that into the school! The child molester!"

"Mitani-sensei wouldn't do that!" He stood up, facing her.

"He was convicted, and the student's body was… dirtied. I hope the man's soul finds its way to hell for committing such an evil act."

Mitani-sensei couldn't have… not to Fujisawa-kun…and please not with him! He couldn't have… replaced me… does this even have connection with the reality I remember? Was that even a reality at all? "He wouldn't do anything to hurt someone purposely! He doesn't deserve to go to hell, he was a wonderful teach and I l-" He stopped, face reddening, as his mother started trying to quiet him. 

"Sh, dear! You're going to wake your father." She put her hands on his shoulders. "You've had a hard school year. Why don't you go to bed?"

"I… don't know. Okaa-san, I just don't-" He stopped, feeling the hands wrapping around his neck and squeezing with inhuman strength. Thumbs were pressing into his throat, cutting off air. "O-Okaa-san?!"

"Die…" A hissing voice whispered into his ear. The woman facing him did not look like his mother anymore, but a strange, deformed human going through a metamorphosis into a monster. Black wings started sprouting from its back.

_Tasukete…_ He felt the nausea rising into him. _Someone help me, I can't breathe. Why okaa-san? Help…_ The fingers pressed harder down.

"No one is going to help you." The voice told him. "Just die… feel yourself drifting. It is what you wanted."

_Yes, this is what I wanted._ He felt his mind clouding. _I did want to just die, didn't I? Yeah, I'm sorry Maaya-san, Pochi, minna-san. May I get what I deserve now. Sayonara…_

_Sayonara…_

_Mitani…_

"Izuru!" A voice yelled. It was a different one, more emotional and familiar.

Who…? 

"Izuru!"

Hands grabbed his shoulders from behind and jerked him away from the fallen angel-turned-demon named Kesabel, who hissed and took to the sky.

"Izuru…" Mitani slumped down, holding the boy against himself. "Wake up, please!"

"He won't." The fallen angel landed, black hair swirling from the wing flaps. "He wants to die, and so he will." He shrugged indifferently. "You will lose your lover again and I will gain the soul of a poor blind woman who should have died. You should have died too, you know. Such anomalies you Shinigami are." A grin stretched across his changing face and as the features transformed into those of an auburn haired youth. "Ne, Mitani-sensei?"

"Fujisawa-kun… no, you're still Kesabel, the shape-shifter." He shook his head, clearing his mind and reaching into his jacket for the fuda he knew that he would need.

"But Mitani-sensei… it's me, Fujisawa-kun. Don't you remember the night you killed me? We made love and you chopped my head open. I told the boy, you know. He knows now, and no doubt he will die hating you."

"That's a lie!" Mitani screamed. "That boy, Fujisawa-kun, blackmailed me! It was not love that I felt! The only one I could ever love is Izuru."

"Touching. Will he believe that if he ever wakes up?"

"Damn you!"

Okazaki Izuru saw darkness once again, much like when he had been trapped as Fohkaroru used his body. There was sound, however, but it was all dimmed. He could hear echoes, as if they were far away.

He couldn't have replaced me. He loved me, and I… I was in love with him.

_I should just die and that would solve everything._

_Would it really?_

"Don't you remember the night you killed me? We made love…"

_Is that truth, Mitani-sensei? Did you make love with Fujisawa-kun before killing him?_

_What does it matter?_

He heard sounds now and vaguely felt heat and energy passing around, over, and through him. It was dulled as if with anesthetic.

Why am I still alive? What is my purpose? 

"Izuru."

Izuru, floating in darkness, somehow turned himself to the form of Takamiya Maaya that was floating behind him.

"Bind!" Mitani released the power within the fuda as winds reached out to restrain the demon before him that had reverted back to its angelic form. It caught on for a few moments before breaking off.

"He's fading." Kesabel laughed. "Your beloved Izuru is fading. Why are you fighting, anyway? For him? He doesn't love you anymore. It's crossed his mind to love you again, but he's turned down the thought time after time. He believes that the acts are dirty now, that you are dirty. I can sense him weakening." He lifted his arms in the air, chains that decorated his dark and ripped clothing rattling. "I will end your life now." Dark lightning, seemingly liquefied, formed in his hands. Malice glinting in silvered eyes showed insanity as the attack was unleashed.

"Shield!" Mitani blocked with the defensive fuda. The markings were becoming blurred and would not last long.

"Izuru, wake up!" _Please kami-sama, let me have the power to defeat him. I need to save everyone… Maaya-san, Pochi, Izuru… please, let me be able to save them. _"Izuru, don't die… I love you."

Kesabel looked as if he was about to laugh, but was stopped by sudden realization. His eyes were wide and he stood straight. "Enma?!"

"Wake up, Izuru-san." Maaya goaded. "Come on, you need to wake up and help Mitani-san."

"Is he in trouble?"

"Yes, he is fighting to save both you and I. He needs your help."

Izuru shook his head. "No one needs me. I would just hurt him further."

Maaya reached up and took off her sunglasses, revealing deep brown eyes that stared at him. "Izuru-san, Mitani-san will die if you don't wake up. And so will you, Pochi, and myself." She reached out a hand to him. "Come now."

Izuru hesitated before taking her hand. Suddenly, he felt himself lifting out of the darkness and into the world.

"Mitani…?" He asked, dazed. Be now, Kesabel had gotten over surprise and unleashed another attack.

"Izuru!" He almost dropped the fading fuda.

"Mitani!" Izuru jumped up suddenly, realizing the situation.

"Hold this." Mitani handed him the shield fuda. "Do not drop it, no matter what, okay?"

"Hai." The boy nodded, taking hold of the paper. Right away his arm started trembling with the sheer force of the opponent's attack.

Mitani smiled and pulled another fuda out of his pocket. "Element fire, strike!"

At that exact moment, the shield gave out.

"Mitani!" The paper flew out of Izuru's hands and the shield broke.

"Izuru!" Mitani grabbed onto the boy, attack already sent and trusting this single attack to save their lives.

"Izuru-san! Mitani-san!" Takamiya and Pochi ran up to the two Shinigami, collapsed amidst ruins of cars and slightly burnt buildings.

"Maaya-san?" Izuru raised himself on his elbows. "What happened?"

"I don't know." She answered. "But you won."

"How can you tell?"

She smiled. "I can see."

His head shot up so that he could look into her eyes. Indeed, they were no longer gray, but the dark brown that he had seen in that vision. But who had the person from that vision been? It couldn't have been Takamiya herself, because she was just an ordinary human.

A while later, he would learn that it had been Enma Dai-oh that had given him the vision, but for now he would remain unsure on the subject.

"Mitani-sensei?" He moved the man off on his legs where he had fallen. He was bleeding from various places that had been cut by the loose attack. The demon Kesabel was nowhere in sight. "Good, he's breathing. But he will have to recover."

"Do you have to go back to where you came from now?" Takamiya asked, saddened by the thought. Pochi poked his nose at the still unconscious man, causing him to stir slightly.

"I'm afraid so." Izuru nodded. "Now that our job is over and you are safe once again, we have to file reports and answer for… damages." He looked around himself, indicating the buildings and cars. "We're just lucky that it was so early in the morning, or else we'd really be in for it." He stood, dragging Mitani up with him. "I'm sorry if this seems so abrupt, but I really do need to get him help."

Takamiya shook her head. "Everything has been running so fast since you two got here. I can't ever thank you enough."

Izuru smiled broadly, face with dirt smudges. "Just live. Don't just survive, but live. Carpe diem, I suppose. Seize the day."

The woman laughed. "I will." She paused. "Will I see you two again?"

"Maybe, but I can't make promises."

"Pochi will miss you."

"And I'll miss him." He shifted so that he could rub the dog on the head with a free hand. "So I guess… sayonara."

"Yeah, sayonara." She started waving, but stopped. "Oh, Izuru-san! You are right- his hair is poofy!"

They exchanged laughter as Izuru concentrated and sifted both he and Mitani out of that plane into EnMaChou, where they were greeted directly by Tsuzuki, Hisoka, Tatsumi, Watari, the GuShouShin, and Kacho.

Izuru smiled weakly. Everything was passing too quickly, and yet it had hardly been any time. "That's it."

Maaya picked up a newspaper and looked at it. The headline said: Local Actress Miraculously Regains Sight. So the town was small enough to put that as their headline? Ah well, she had her job back, and Pochi was alive, fed, and happy. She continued on her way, the said dog tugging on the leash, directing her to the park.

Two blonds sat in the window of the café, watching her pass. The elder folded the newspaper under his arm and turned to the other. "So, do you have it?"

"Yeah." The younger of the two held up an envelope. He felt a little tense around his former teacher because of what the demon Kesabel had said, but he didn't know whether or not it was true, so shouldn't he give Mitani the benefit of the doubt?

"Let's go." They stood and walked to the apartment complex that the rising actress had moved into. Stopping at the building's mailbox, they slipped a note in the one for her number and a small package. Looking at one another, they nodded and disappeared.

When Takamiya Maaya returned home that afternoon, she checked her mailbox, as usual. She was surprised to find a note with no name except her own on it, and a package in the same condition. Tossing her bills aside as she entered her apartment and unleashing Pochi, she opened up the letter first. Reading it, her eyes and smile widened. She tore the wrapping off of the package and uncovered two stuffed animals- a white dog and a black dog. She shook her head and laughed. "You two! You could have said hello to me personally!"

_Dear Maaya-san and Pochi,_

_Thank you for your hospitality while we were on Earth. There should be some extra money in your bank account for our expenses, unless the EnMaChou secretary should find out first, and in which case we would be dead, again._

_We send our greetings and love. May you live everyday of the rest of your life._

_-You know who_

"Yeah." She smiled. "Carpe diem."

All that you really need in like are anime, manga, pocky, tea, and fuda- again not necessarily in that order. Oh, sure all the health books and doctors talk about… healthy food and drink, but what otaku really needs those?

I hate writing battles.

Congratulations all, I just deleted a story arc from my outline that I thought didn't fit at the particular time, only to be moved to later. So yeah, it'll get onto more cases quicker… if I can type it all and get my lazy arse up from reading wonderful Mercedes Lackey shounen ai books and to the computer to type. I love Vanyel, Tylendel, and Stefen (Actual shounen ai! And ANGST!). I want Naitachal and Elianthanis~! (Never mind that there's no official shounen ai there) Elves are so bishie… **drools** **suddenly realizes she has a CERTAIN reader breathing down her neck for a specific chapter she blurted out to her… and a few more people who know where she lives and know where her locker is… and know where all her manga is T.T**

Wildwolf: **holds up sign that says: THEY NEED TO MAKE GRAPHIC NOVEL 12**

Chibi: **sign: READ THE GRAPHIC NOVELS**

Wildwolf: **sign: WE ARE NOT GETTING PAID TO ADVERTISE**

Chibi: **sign: I'M DIRT POOR- MY FORTUNE IS IN MANGA (And half of it's hidden from the parents! ^.^)**

Wildwolf: **sign: AND IT ALL GETS STOLEN FROM US THE DAY AFTER WE BUY IT**

Chibi: **sign: AND I DON'T GET IT BACK FOR 2 WEEKS USUALLY**

More notes: I'm sorry if that seemed sped and crappy, but I suddenly realized Saturday night that my anniversary was coming up and that I had to post SOMETHING. I decided on this cause it was easier for me and on the computer I have access to, unlike all my OTHER fics on the computer that hates me. Blah. I have no real way of sending this to a BETA either… and its too long to print out without having people notice… so blah, rely and my 97th percentile PSAT writing skills… **groans and keels over**

Wildwolf: **kicks her and doesn't get a reaction** **sign: OOPS**

"I believe love surviving death into eternity."

Savage Garden, Affirmation


	5. Chapter 4: Violin

Yo! Ah, finally, the next chapter!

Review-y stuffs:

Experimental- Hey, I've already hinted to you what was on this case! In fact, I'm taking stuff from our conversations. Err, this is ONE of those that I hinted to you… blah. . Out of the many that were throwaway ideas… T_T and ya know what? I know nothing of Tsuzuki's forbidden relationship or the Four Generals, or blah~! **makes chibified arm movements before falling on her back. (See chibi Tsuzuki in the special story at the end of volume 6 for visuals) I think I'm knocking off a lotta your favorite characters- Fujisawa, Saionji… hey, I'm just characterizing them. Not well, but trying.

Ah, Enma Dai-oh was the one who gave Tsuzuki the vision of Hijiri in the Akuma no Toriru arc. I took that for last chapter. Enma-sama has plans for everyone, I think.

Does anyone know any thing about "Tsuki no umareru yoru" by Kanbe Akira?

And ya know what? Yamashita looks blond in the manga, but he has brown hair in the anime! Why? I was running around and wondering why, before stopping and grinning at the fact that he called Hijiri "Hi" in the Japanese version (but, granted, in Hijiri's delusional, demon possessed mind). Of course, there is the English where he calls him "Hi-chan…" I'll compromise and make it light brown.

This has a lot less to do with Mitani and Izuru (at first, at least… not sure otherwise) and more to do with, well, Hijiri and Yamashita.

DEFINATE PAIRINGS FOR THIS ARC: Mitani/Izuru, Yamashita/Hijiri one-way angst stuff

**Chapter 4-**

**Violin**

"Hijiri!"

The brown-haired boy stopped at the door of the Violin Room 1, waiting for the boy that had called his name to put his instrument in the cabinet and catch up. The Violin Room had been rebuilt after last year's mysterious fire that Yamashita was still declaring was Saionji's doing, even if no proof was seen.

"Hurry up, Yamashita." Hijiri joked. "So slow."

"Shut up." He said pointedly before becoming casual once again. "Ne, Hijiri, do you want to see a movie this Sunday?"

Hijiri reviewed his week's plans in mind, finding nothing imposing. "Sure. What's out?"

"Aw, are the fags making a date?" The longhaired Saionji sneered at them from inside the room. His two followers laughed.

Hijiri lifted a certain finger, but otherwise ignored him and started walking to the next class.

"Hijiri, you're looking for a fight." Yamashita scolded as soon as they were out of hearing distance. He sighed and shook his head.

"Well, the damn bastard has a beating coming." Hijiri shrugged.

"Such words are unbecoming of Minase Hijiri, number one violinist." Yamashita grinned.

Hijiri smiled back. "But such words are perfectly natural for Minase Hijiri, third year violinist."

"Same difference." He shook his head. "Baka."

They laughed, and Hijiri suddenly felt better. He had been feeling nostalgic that it had been nearly a year since he had that adventure with the Shinigami, and he hadn't heard from them since that letter at his concert. But things had gone back to normal, his friends were no longer afraid of him, and even Yamashita had quit worrying so much. Of course, he could still play the Devil's Trill, and he had decidedly moved onto other Tartini sonatas.

"So, which movie?" Yamashita asked.

"What was out?"

"Well," Yamashita went through a list of the movies that were out. "There's supposed to be a premiere of that movie on the Meiji restoration- my uncle could probably get us tickets."

"That sounds good." He didn't want to worry the boy next to him, but he was drifting in and out of the conversation.

"So we're on for Sunday?" Yamashita asked, opening the door to their next class.

Hijiri nodded, forcing a smile.

Mitani could not keep his eyes from Tsuzuki. Neither could Izuru, but he was much more polite about it. While the younger of the two was still paying attention to Tatsumi's reports on EnMaChou spending, the older was completely zoning him out, watching Tsuzuki and his piece of cake.

"Ne, Hisoka…" Tsuzuki poked Hisoka, who looked back at him with a glare that didn't even phase the inu Shinigami. "Are you going to eat your cake?"

Without saying a word, Hisoka pushed his back and turned back to Tatsumi, who hadn't stopped talking.

"Arigato!" Tsuzuki grinned, and those who looked closely could almost see an amused smile on Hisoka's face. Not much of one, but a slight one. And Tsuzuki had worked hard to get Hisoka even to that, and he just missed it for food, dang it!

(Little muses (Yamashita, Izuru, and Zaha (Koori no Mamono no Monogatari)) run up and whap the authoress. Zaha: We're sorry about that. **gets glomped**)

"And now, GuShouShin." Tatsumi waved his hand mystically and pointed the GuShouShin brothers.

"Right!" GuShouShin Ani opened up his laptop. "We have a report from one of our demon exorcists, Tsukiori Kira-"

"Ah, Tsukiori-san!" Tsuzuki stood up, smiling (and wagging his chibi inu tail). Hisoka coughed and glared. This time, it took effect and Tsuzuki sat down.

"Tsukiori?" Mitani wondered.

"Yes, she was involved in your case." Konoe-kacho nodded.

"She?"

A hard nod.

"Getting back to our report." GuShouShin Ani coughed. "She has reported demon activity within our vicinity."

"Is it Grand Duke Ashitarote?" Konoe stood quickly.

"No." GuShouShin Otouto took over. "It is a single demon. As it seems from the recent run of events, the Akuma Empire is fading out of the Grand Duke's control. There are more and more rebels surfacing. Kesabel was one of them, and a high-ranking one at that. He had been a General in one of the divisions. However, now…"

GuShouShin Ani finished. "Dragon Calvary Brigade Commander Sagatanis' second-in-command seeks revenge. As it seems, Sagatanis and his brigade had been planning a coup, and without their commander…"

"The whole plan is ruined, and they seek revenge." Watari pushed up on the noseband of his glasses. 003-chan hooted in agreement.

"Correct." Both brothers answered at once.

Tsuzuki's eyes widened, something dawning on him that had not yet come to the minds of the others yet. He stood abruptly, flinging the chair out from under him. "Who is it that they plan to take the revenge of Sagatanis' death on?"

All the humans in the room, Tsuzuki being the exception, had a sudden realization. Their eyes widened slowly.

"Hijiri…"

"Mou…" Hijiri sighed.

"The movie sucked." Yamashita shook his head. "I thought it would be something like that anime."

"Yeah." The darker-haired one shrugged. "Well, at least we got to hang out."

The other smiled. "Yeah." It relaxed back into a slight frown before he asked, "Hijiri, life seems back to normal now, after all that stuff last year, huh?"

Hijiri nodded.

"You're a great violinist, no longer acting all possessed and stuff, your grades are… okay, but they always weren't the highest, and yoru fangirls are no longer shying away."

"I know." Hijiri shook his head. "Why won't they go away?"

"Well, it could be that in all of your time in high school, you have yet to go out with anyone, and all of them want to be the first to date Minase Hijiri."

"Why is my name so important to people?" He asked, curving his arms behind his head and staring at the sky.

"You know why." Yamashita looked at him pointedly.

Hijiri dropped his arms. "Is playing the violin so important? I mean, it won't get me anywhere in life, not in the real world. So, it's a great hobby, but in life, hobbies don't get you places, academics do."

"For one thing," Yamashita interrupted, "you can get a scholarship to nearly any university in Japan, or the world, with your skills, and for another," he smiled, "your playing is who you are. Hijiri, with that violin, you can express yourself in so many ways… you can convey how you feel to the listener so well that, well, you reach a level that some people can only dream of. I love listening to you, Hijiri." He looked up to the darkening sky, as if the stars held the answer to what riddle was plaguing his thoughts.

Hijiri sighed. "Thanks, Yamashita."

"No problem."

"Oy, Minase-kun! Yamashita-kun!" A group of girls from school ran up.

"Konbanwa." They greeted each other.

"Ne, ne, Minase-kun!" Two of them grabbed onto his arms. "Come with us, please? We're thirsty, can you buy us some drinks?"

"O-okay…" Hijiri sweat-dropped, allowing them to drag him off.

There was a high-pitched squeal in answer of his response.

Yamashita sighed, hesitating before following. "Of course, Yamashita, this is your life." He smiled pathetically.__

The light-haired boy waited outside the café as his friend pried himself away from the girls with every excuse from, "I have homework to finish" to "I have to pick up my dog from the vet." He laughed quietly. Hijiri didn't have a dog, but they didn't know that.

"How do they have so much energy?" Hijiri staggered out. "They all talked, I swear without closing their mouths or blinking once!"

"Minase Hijiri, complaining about his fans?" Yamashita laughed louder now.

"Shut up." Hijiri sighed.

"Well, I guess it is about time to head home. I, personally, do have homework tomorrow." Yamashita sighed.

"Un." The other agreed. Both violinists turned in the direction of their homes, which happened to be the same direction.

"So," Yamashita broke the silence that had been hovering around them after a few blocks. "Is there anyone you like?"

Hijiri rolled his eyes. "Why are you so interested in my love life?"

"Because of what Saionji said about us being fags. He can spread rumors very easily, you know. People will listen to him."

"Well, I've never really thought about whether or not I was gay." Hijiri placed a finger to his lips. "I have yet to really be attracted to anyone. As far as I see it, if I fall in love with someone, then that's that, there's nothing more to discuss." He turned to his friend. "What about you?"

"I don't know."

There was an awkward silence as they walked. Neither wanted to press for any more information or wanted to be pressed.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Yamashita bid Hijiri farewell as the dark-haired one entered his apartment complex.

"Yeah, tomorrow." He waved apathetically. He disappeared into the building.

Yamashita started walking, but then paused to look at the door that Hijiri had just passed through. "Maybe another day." He swung his foot around and continued onwards.

"Hijiri!" Yamashita ran up to meet the other, entering class as the bell rang.

"Yo." Hijiri waved offhandedly.

"You okay?" He sat down next to the number one violinist.

"Yeah, tired." Hijiri yawned. "Bad dream."

"About what?"

"I don't remember." Hijiri answered so quickly that Yamashita knew that he was lying. But whatever it was, he wasn't about to pry. However, what the boy didn't know was that Hijiri had dreamt of his adventure with the Shinigami, but several things were different. Yamashita had been there instead of Kazusa, and there were more Shinigami than whose faces he recognized. He hoped it wasn't an omen. Omens usually weren't good. But…

Was this an omen, he would probably see Tsuzuki again. He let out a sigh. But the dream had Yamashita in it, and that could be bad. He had already lost Kazusa, and he didn't need to be losing anyone else.

"Minase-kun!" The teacher yelled.

"Hai!" Hijiri stood, the class laughing at him, all except for Yamashita, who looked at him with worry.

"Read the lines on page 23."

"Hai." He picked up his English Language textbook and started reading.

"I can't believe I spaced like that… four times!" Hijiri groaned. It was after school and they were walking home.

"You aren't okay." Yamashita huffed. "You can tell me what's wrong, you know. I mean, if I felt like shit, I'd tell you whether you liked it or not, so you can do the same to me."

"Nothing's wrong." Hijiri shook his head.

"So, that's why you were just complaining about spacing. Before today, the last time I had ever heard you play a flat note was, well, a year ago with that freaky Devil's Trill."

"Don't bring that up…" He groaned.

"Sorry." Yamashita apologized.

"That's okay. I just feel… tired." He suddenly leaned against Yamashita, who sagged slightly under the weight.

"H-Hijiri!"

"Hisoka!" A voice yelled, and a man Yamashita recognized as the substitute school nurse from last year jumped out of nowhere, holding a piece of paper. A boy a little younger than Yamashita held up another that cast a light purple shield around them. "Demon, be gone!" The adult Shinigami yelled, coat swirling around him. Flashes erupted in various places around the half sphere before stopping.

Tsuzuki lowered the fuda, checking around and making sure his invisible enemy was indeed gone. Hisoka did the same, and the violet field disappeared.

"We need to get Hijiri." Tsuzuki turned to the two boys.

"Take him where?" Yamashita yelled.

"I'm sorry, Yamashita-kun." Tsuzuki apologized. "We will have to take Hijiri-kun with us for protection and erase your memory of this situation. The less you know, the better."

"Hell no!" Yamashita tightened his grip on the friend's shoulders. During the short bout, they had fallen to their knees, Hijiri unconscious. "You're not taking him anywhere!"

"Look, we're friends. We have to protect Hijiri-kun from that demon." Tsuzuki held out his hands desperately.

"You're not taking him. I won't let him leave my sight, if you say he's in danger."

"Tsuzuki," the younger stepped forth, speaking for the first time, "we have no choice." Yamashita almost let go of Hijiri, shocked by the resemblance between the two. The same frame, hairstyle, and a similar voice. The hair was different, and their skin tone very little, but even their eyes… no, their eyes weren't the same. The stranger before Yamashita had eyes that showed a mature seriousness that held an intensity that Yamashita only saw on Hijiri when he wad challenged on the violin. Those eyes that turned to him, sending freezing chills down his neck, seemed like they could not smile.

Tsuzuki groaned. "Tatsumi and Konoe-kacho will be unhappy."

"But it's obvious he isn't going to give up easily, and we don't need a fight." Hisoka walked over to Yamashita and held two fingers in front of his face. "I'm sorry."

Yamashita blackened out, those eyes still staring at him, piercing into his mind.

It was light when Yamashita woke up, but a different kind of light than when he had blacked out. It had been blazing sunlight then, but now it was a soft, dimmer and more comfortable sort of natural light. The air was cool; the window was open to allow a breeze in. The white curtains billowed gently. He could see sakura blossoms blooming outside and falling quietly to the ground. It would have been beautiful if he had not been alarmed.

"Is this heaven?" He asked out of nowhere. Where else could he have awakened to such a beautiful sight?

"I asked the same thing when this happened to me." A crisp, familiar voice laughed. Yamashita, ignoring his sore muscles, twisted around to see Hijiri sitting there, smiling at him. "But no, it isn't. This is Meifu, but it's as close as any living person can get."

"Hijiri, are you okay?"

"Yes." He nodded. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Those guys…" Yamashita sat up slowly. "They were trying to kidnap you. But the younger one did something… something to knock me out." He blinked a few times. "Where are we…? There are sakura blossoms at this time of year."

"We're in Meifu, the land of the Shinigami." Hijiri explained. "Those were Tsuzuki and Hisoka. Hisoka was the younger one."

"You know them?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "They protected me last year. I guess I can tell you everything, considering it's not going to be hidden from you, knowing where we are." He sighed. "Last year, with that entire Devil's Trill thing, a demon contract had been inside the eye I was given…" He explained the entire story, Yamashita clinging to his words, but not necessarily believing all of them. It was difficult to believe, understandingly.

"Wait a second." He held up a hand. "Shinigami? As in Grim Reaper, Death, 'I've come for your soul' type Shinigami?" Hijiri nodded in response. "Damn."

"Neither heaven, nor hell." Izuru commented from the doorway, making his presence known and attempting to look imposing.

"You two aren't the same ones that took us."

"No." Mitani appeared behind Izuru, shaking his head. "Konoe-kacho charged we two with your protection because Tsuzuki-san and Hisoka-kun are busy with something else."

"You two are Shinigami?" Yamashita peered. "But you look so… normal, alive."

"Because, I suppose, are bodies are alive, in a way. We'd make one hell of a science fair project." Mitani joked.

"As soon as you can move, Konoe-kacho would like to see the four of us." Izuru interjected seriously.

There was a nod in response. The younger of the two Shinigami turned out of the room silently, long shirt sweeping behind him.

Mitani watched him go for a few paces before turning back to the two. "There are sandwiches there, in case you're hungry." He pointed at the table near the bed.

"Did Tsuzuki make them?" Hijiri blanched. Yamashita noticed the lack of honorifics.

"No, no." Mitani laughed.

Hijiri sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"It's okay. Get better quickly." He turned to Yamashita with the last part.

The Shinigami were gone and the two living people were left to their own devices. Yamashita, between bites of sandwich, interrogated Hijiri, making sure he was perfectly okay. They were then greeted by an awkward silence yet again. Yamashita took this time to delve into all of his problems and sort them, as many teenagers do at some point in their lives, some more than others.

"Yamashita." Hijiri broke it after a few minutes, interrupting the mental sequence. "Are you sure that you're okay? I mean, this is the first time this has happened to you."

Yamashita shook his head, despite that his head was reeling from all that was happening. But one thing was sure: if someone or something was out to kill Hijiri, then he would sure as hell protect him. His Shinigami friends weren't the only ones who cared about his safety. He had someone… right here.

_I'm pathetic!_ He yelled at himself mentally. _First I was a damn idiot and bigot for being scared of what I am, and now… now I just don't know._ He glanced around the room and out the window, gazing at the falling blossoms.

"The sakura blossoms always bloom here." Hijiri said absently. He smiled, looking out the window as well.

Yamashita could feel his heart pounding. He supposed that he could be bisexual, and was now, after months of wondering, ready to say that he was, but not openly, of course. It wasn't that he was attracted to men, just that… that he wanted to be with one particular person for as long as he could manage. But unfortunately, society isn't accepting of such thoughts (even if a small population of his unnamed (and to this story, unimportant) friends were openly gay or bi), and it was possible that this person, the one whose opinion meant most in the world to him, would turn him down and leave him.

Enter the soap opera.

He sighed, shoulders heaving. _There's no way. Just get it out of your head. Go… find yourself a girlfriend or something. Just push the one person you actually feel for out of that section of your life and pretend nothing's wrong. Bury it._

He was extremely thankful that his thoughts were his own at this point of time, lest someone else should find his own feelings out and exploit them. That would be horrible and, well, seppuku didn't sound that bad. _Just a gash along the gut, that's all. Granted there's no one to cut off your head once the pain's too much, but hell, you can slowly and painfully die. No problem with that. Or maybe there's a cliff._

"So, are you ready?" Hijiri asked, holding a hand out to help him up.

Yamashita almost laughed at the theatrics in his mind before nodding. Some things are better left unsaid to anyone but yourself. He took the hand and hoisted himself to his feet. Time to meet destiny and go into the light.

Chibi: (**sign** Poor Yamashita, we love him. And Hijiri.) **does the happy Chibi dance Variation 1**

Wildwolf: (**sign** But unfortunately, he is saddened that the anime was changed from the manga in some ways.)

Chibi: (**sign** Yamashita is sad that in the anime, he had no "love confession")

Wildwolf: (**sign** Does this intrigue you? Are you dying of wonder?)

Chibi: (**sign** There is a cure, out there somewhere!)

Wildwolf: (**sign** But we already think you know what it is.)

Chibi: (**sign** We sound like the Adult Swim ad… things…)

Wildwolf: (**sign** Feh. **heart heart**) **Pause** (**sign** Is this starting to seem Yamashita-centric?)

Chibi: (**sign** Does it matter?)


End file.
